Dani goes to a new home...

Dani left today for Granite, Oregon. She becomes the 2nd rescue we have found a home for this year. That is great news for us! Two doesn't seem like alot, but it is for our little operation and I think Dani will be very happy with the amount of mountain trail time she sees with her new family.

She is going to a lady who recently lost her mare of over 20 years. They pack into the wilderness with mules, which apparently are more likely to follow a mare than a gelding. I think this is a good fit and am hopeful for updates, and possibly even photos.

I have a good contract in place with first right of refusal as well as stipulations that seem basic to others but I have found just aren't in the world of horsepeople. You know, appropriate farrier care, vetting, that sort of thing. I think these are good horsepeople, but I have learned the hard way to have it in writing. Hard to enforce from afar, but I've done it before and I'll do it again if necessary. I don't think it will be.

Anyway, on to the other rescues, making them fat and happy. Dani is a success story.

These are all photos I've posted before, but I just haven't taken any in awhile so thought I'd repost some favorites.

Peaceful, at home.

Look at the dust!

I love the moment of suspension!

My first ride on Dani. Awwww...

Her first hunting trip.

Getting a winter coat.

Dani is doing very well and enjoying her very mellow lifestyle. She is called to action only minimally for a trail ride or hunting trip since we are working mainly with Chavez in training. She still gets lots of love and pets as she is the most social and human-loving of the bunch.

We brought in a new rescue a month and a half ago and she is trying to figure him out after his month of quarantine. They are making headway in the friend department.

I am not excited about mud season, but at least Dani can go into it with no bandages and a healthy, sound leg.

Pics to come.

No post on the hunting trip?

This past spring, Dani went on a(n unsuccessful) bear hunting trip with Adam, my husband, and Ken, my father-in-law. She did all the expected things a green horse will do, but nothing bad in response to humans. Just some questionable judgement when allowed to make her own decisions. Sounds like most people I know...

Truck got stuck before even entering the hunting area. At least the hay was safe!

They camped on a bit of a hillside. Somehow, Dani toppled and ROLLED down the little hill to land in the mud. Hard to tell with her coloring, but that is mud dripping off of her.

And, ready to hunt. That's Dani on the left and snow in the background.

Holding weight and looking good

Dani has had some issues with keeping weight on. She gains weight fairly easily, but if I try to wean her off the grain or put her in with more than one other horse to eat with, she loses weight. She's definitely not the Alpha mare, so gets moved around alot during feeding time. Even with plenty of piles and places to eat, Pie and Ilo want ALL the piles to themselves. So, Dani has been eating with Chavez. He likes her and they are similiar in age and position within the herd.

A couple of goofy pictures. I was actually taking pics of Chavez as it was something of a miracle that he allowed me to put a fly mask on him. Dani was so cute and inquisitive that I had to take some of her too. (She's on the far side in the pic of two horses.)

Flies love her, much to her chagrin, so she's been wearing a fly sheet as well. Seemed to really help. I took it off last night when I turned her out with her buddies for roll in the pasture and the flies were immediately on her, despite almost dipping her in fly spray.

Adam rode Dani

Adams regular mount, Apple Pie, was feeling a bit off yesterday, so Adam took Dani to the base of North Sister (a mountain...) to ride looking for hunting possibilities for the fall. He didn't find any suitable hunting areas, but had a good ride on Dani. He said it was really windy and she was somewhat spooky for that, but overall did great.

That was his first time riding her.

I rode her last week, for the, I think, third time. We went to Todd Lake horse camp. Didn't camp, but parked there and rode the trail. We didn't make it all the way to Todd Lake, but did cross a couple of pretty deep streams, went over a bridge, through some still quite deep snow patches and lots of mud and rocks.

She does better going back to the trailer. Not like she's trying to run home, but that she's seen this trail before and is more comfortable. Just lots of new things at once tend to make her a little wired. I've never felt like I was about to come off. Well, except that one time I did actually slide off when riding bareback...

Leg looks awesome. Feet are good. She's just a great girl.

Dani photos

I RODE DANI YESTERDAY!!!

Dani has been ridden for weeks by our trainers and I finally decided it was time someone else rode her. We don't have a saddle that fits her really well, so I rode her bareback. She did great. Not the best at steering, but she is easy to ride and didn't spook and get silly. We went for an easy mile or a little more at Horse Butte. She was getting tired near the end, but never got stumbly or off.

I am so excited about her!

Broke, not broken

Our trainer has been riding Dani for about a month, after groundwork and some conditioning from the ground, to make sure her leg would hold up. Kali (trainer) says Dani is as close to "deadbroke" as a young horse can get. Obviously, we're not throwing kids up on her, but her personality and willingness to please make her very easy to handle and ride. I haven't ridden her yet, but she has gone on trail rides, done lots of arena and lunge line work is a great horse to have around.

She hasn't had a wrap on her leg for a few weeks now and the swelling is absent except after a long workout. It's always getting better, and is fine during work, but when she stops, it swells a bit.

It was super nice out today and all the horses were frisky.

Her toe is still a little long. Our farrier works with it every time to take it back a little more. Getting closer to correct.

Photos from February 2009

I opened the pasture gate for them to run back and forth. That's why she looks a little sweaty. This was the final "big wrap" before switching only to polo wraps, then nothing.

Wrap off

Dani's leg hasn't been wrapped in days and days. After the vet check over a month ago to see if she was ready to start some real work, I have slowly wrapped it looser and looser, ending with a polo wrap for a few days.

In the end, I think she worries for it a bit and I have seen some small amounts of swelling, but I think it has more to do with exercise and general lymphatic drainage rather than long term swelling issues.

Personally suffering from gross cold/illness. Haven't spent much time out there recently, but she looks good and frisky.

Candy cane...or injured leg?

New photos of Dani's leg. I was out of vetrap and had to buy a couple of rolls from a local ranch supply store, so of course, bought red and white. It was, after all, Christmas eve.